Yamamura Samurai Swordsmith

Kamakura is a city located about 50km south-west of Tokyo and was the capital of the feudal military dictatorship of the Minamoto shogunate from 1185 to 1333. Today it is a popular tourist destination famous for its Buddha statues, temples, shrines and beaches. The most famous of the Buddha statues is the gigantic outdoor bronze statue of Amida Buddha.

But there is more to Kamakura: It is also home of one of Japan’s famous family samurai swordsmith, Masamune. The 24th generation of the family Masamune, Tsunahiro Yamamura may be the last in the line of Masamune swordsmiths as his son, who is studying lyric opera in Italy, is not interested in continuing the family tradition.

photo: Tsunahiro Yamamura forging a samurai sword at his workshop in Kamakura

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Short history: The sword is considered to be the spirit of the Samurai. The master forger is usually under the patronage of the Lords during the Medieval period. When the Shogun Yoritomo Minamoto founded the government in Kamakura in 1192, sword forgers smithers from all over Japan went there to forge swords for the samurais.

During this time, the swords formed were not easy to use and were at risk of breaking. A young forger smither named Goro Masamune of Sagami (1264-1343) who came to Kamakura, perfected a combination of two types of steel which made the sword both supple and hard, making it a far more superior sword. Swords forged by Masamune were admired and he became known as Master forger.

The tradition of forgery smithing is handed down in the family, from father to son. Tsunahiro Yamamura is the 24th generation, descended from the first Masamune.

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42 Responses to “Yamamura Samurai Swordsmith”

Just to make communication in future clearer, although the process of hammering hot metal is called “forging”, the person who does it is called a “smith”.
A “forger” is a person who makes forgeries, or *fakes*, and a “master forger” is someone who makes excellent fakes. Mr Yamamura is a master smith, and it is highly unlikely that the family is passing the tradition of “forgery” down through the generations.
Weird, I know, but that’s English for you.

Hello, excellent and informative article. I have heard about Masamune but had not heard any of the history and managed to stumble upon this wealth of info. I currently own a sword and weapons sword and would like to stock Masamune swords, if you know of a good distributor of Masamune swords please let me know.

Pierre Nadeau is a swordsmith apprentice and he would be in a better position to answer your inquiries about being an apprentice. His website in english: http://www.soulsmithing.com/AcceuilEN.html All the best to you, Scott!

It is the most beautiful swordmanship I have seen in a very long time. If I travel to see him will it still take four years to forge. I need japanese steel know. For my own reasons not to mention my respect for the way of the Samurai and what they stood for. The sword is truly one with your soul. I see people today buying swords and they don’t even know the first thing about it or how to use it if needed.

Hello,
I am planning a trip to Japan this November (2010). Would it be possible for me to meet with Master Yamamura? It would be a great honor to meet him and a greater honor to have him forge a sword for me. On average what is the price of his custom made Katanas? Also, what is the price for the 2-week mass production swords that he creates?
Thank you,

If that’s ¥1,800,000 then that’s more likely $16,700. An authentic samurai sword forged by an authentic samurai swordsmith is priceless. I’ve seen “samurai” swords on the internet for sale at around $200 and it’s hard to believe that these are authentic. These are “authentic copies” at best, made of stainless steel, like the common kitchen knife.

If you do get one, let us know if he gave you some sort of signed document as to its authenticity. Bargaining is not practised in Japan, but do let us know what the final price is.

If you do get one of his knives, be prepared to reply on what you’ll use it for since there are different knives for different uses. Also tell them whether you’re left- or right-handed as the sharpened blade will be only on one side of the knife.

PS It might be good if you mailed it to yourself rather than take it with you on the plane to avoid any problems at the airport.

I went by there today. Not hard to find from the train station. I saw the knives on display and might go back to get one. The sword I asked about, he said was about 1800000 if I got it right. If correct, then it was $16,700. I’m not sure. If I was wrong and it was $1,670, then I’ll get one. I will try to get back there this week or next.

Hello Ian. The last I heard, he wasn’t retiring soon. He has apprentices… but that wouldn’t be the same, would it? I would strongly suggest you go to his workshop and see what items are left of his inventory before he does retire.

I am interested in having an authentic samurai sword made by Mr. Yamamura. How do I go about in putting my name on his waiting list? I also would like to know payment options and when payment is due and cost for the swords. Finally, can the swords be shipped to U.S.?

It has always been a dream of mine to move to Japan and become a swordsmith. I currently live in the US and saw the special on the History channel which led me to do research which led me to this site. How does a person become an appretice to become a swordsmith?

How much does he charge for a sword? Does he expect payment at the time you ask for one to be made, or when it is complete. I have a friend in Japan – is it possible to have her make the request for the sword, or does he prefer to meet with the person directly. Honestly, I would like to meet him when I pick up the sword, but would like my friend to place the order to get on the list sooner. Your assistance on this would be appreciated.

I thiink it is wonderful that the interest for such old ways are still high. I am sad to hear that Masamune Yamamura will be the last of one of the greatest master sword smiths. If I wanted to commission him to forge a sword for me, and I travled to Kamakura, should I just walk upto the door?

That would be FANTASTIC! My Japanese IS nil and I’ve never been to Japan, but my grandmother (Kimiko Yamamura) often talks about sitting in the forge as a young child while her father Takisaburo worked on his blades, and she had to sit in complete silence so as not to disturb his high concentration. She absolutely loved seeing the picture on this website and recognised it straight away before I even told her what/where it was. It meant a lot to her!

You must come to Tokyo to visit your grandmother’s side of the family!

About the knives, there are two signatures: Masamune and Yamamura. Aside from there being different lengths of knives, they ask you if you are left- or right-handed because some blades are sharpened on only one side.

My japanese is virtually nil, but if I understood well, these one-sided knives are for slicing raw fish with. The knife is a very important tool for a sushi chef. The raw fish is sliced in such a way as to preserve as much of its flavour… slicing between the cells is taught in sushi schools, and I’m sure it requires quite a bit of practice.

They also ask you if you want a knife for slicing vegetables with. The blade towards the tip is curved so the blade practically does not need to come off the chopping board when slicing or chopping.

Hannah, I’ll be leaving for Europe next week and won’t be back until towards the end of September. I would be happy to purchase a knife for you (if you can’t come to Tokyo in the near future). I’ll send you an email when I get back. Then you can tell me what kind of knife you want. They are quite expensive, though. Price range is between ¥5,000 to ¥20,000 depending on the kind of knife, and also depending on which signature! Yamamura knives are more expensive. I think his apprentices forge the Masumune knives under the family brand name.

We have been doing our family history and my Grandmother’s family are the Yamamura of Kamakura (hence my name!) and Mr Tsunahiro Yamamura is her cousin, so I was hoping to buy a part of the family tradition!

Hello Hannah. I suppose you would have to go to his workshop in Kamakura to purchase one. His craft is a traditional family endeavour, and not a large commercial enterprise.

It’s like wanting to buy a painting from a well-known artist. A gallery may sponsor him, and from which his paintings are made available. I don’t think you’ll find his art on e-Bay or a department store.

You will find his address in one of the comments on this site, and directions on how to get there.

Traditional forging methods of a real samurai sword is a time-consuming process. When we went to see Yamamura at his workshop, this question was asked. He said that it takes four years to forge a samurai sword for someone who especially requests it.

Samurai swordsmiths are perfectionists. If there is any slight imperfection, the sword is destroyed and the swordsmith starts again. They also normally forge three swords, in order to obtain a perfect result for a single order.

Perhaps what you saw in the documentary was mass-production of a samurai sword not using traditional forging. You sacrifice quality when you speed up the process.

When we visited Mr Tsunahiro Yamamura, the process of forging a samurai sword was explained to us through an interpreter. It’s a lot of really hardwork and the furnace is very hot to work at. I’m sure you cannot be in front of the furnace all day, and I understand why it takes four years to forge a samurai sword.

Hi. Mr Yamamura does not speak english, and you will have to speak to him through an interpreter. If you will order a samurai sword, it will take four years to forge it.

You should see him about this in person with an interpreter. Take the Yokosuka train (quaie no 14 at Shinagawa station in Tokyo) to Kamakura. Take the left exit. Outside the train station, turn left and go towards a torii (Shinto gateway). Take the first left and cross a railway track. Mr Yasumune’s workshop is the second house on the left.

He did have two samurai swords on display at his shop in front of his workshop where he also sells hand-made knives with his signature on them. They might be for sale.